metronewark.org is Newark & New Jersey : honoring our past | embracing our present

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“One of Newark’s finest old factories, the Murphy Varnish Company building in the Ironbound section, looms like an abandoned Georgian country mansion over the industrial landscape. Signs on its boarded-up exterior seem to anticipate the end of the still privately owned building: they alert firefighters to flammable materials on each floor…”

 

The above paragraph was published by the nytime.com in 1992, an article by Iver Peterson titled Trenton Moves to Reclaim Old Factories Left for Dead

 

Murphy Varnish Company was founded by Franklin Murphy. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he was attending Newark Academy when the American Civil War started. In July 1862 he enlisted in the Union Army, despite being only 16 years old, and was mustered in as a Private in Company A, 13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry on July 19, 1862. He rose in rank during his field service, being promoted to corporal on August 25, 1862, to second lieutenant on February 22, 1863, and to first lieutenant on February 24, 1864. His regiment fought in the Battles of Antietam, Chancellorsvile, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign, the "March to the Sea", and Bentonville. He was honorably mustered out of service on June 8, 1865.

He was elected Governor of New Jersey for the period of 1902–1905 implementing many Progressive policies, such as improved child labor laws, the abolition of the fee system that existed in state and county offices, and the establishment of New Jersey's first state primary laws. He died in Palm Beach, Florida at age 74 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark in Section F, Lot 159/160. References: njstatelibrary.org (PDF)

 

 

 

Address of above picture: http://metronewark.org/articles/ironbound

 

On December First 2007 I made another trip to Chestnut Street, Ironbound and took some more photos. Here's the first one, probably the most important art work on this building:

Chariot driver carrying a barrel of the the Murphy Varnish

The site OldNewark has an interesting photo showing two Murphy Trucks in front of the building

 

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